Working with Data
Census Data in General
In cooperation with the Bureau of the Census, ICPSR will archive and distribute a full range of data products:
Aggregate Data: Among the first products released by the Bureau, these files contain summary statistics and tabulations of population and housing characteristics. The Redistricting (Public Law 94-171) Summary File includes population counts down to the block level to allow each state to redraw districts in order to select representatives for the United States Congress and its state legislature. Summary Files 1 and 2 will contain "100-percent data" (collected from all households) at varying levels of geographical and racial/ethnic categories and include information on household relationship, sex, age, race, and housing tenure (owned or rented) and vacancy characteristics. Summary Files 3 and 4 will contain "sample data" (collected from approximately 1-in-6 of total population and housing units who completed the long form) at varying levels of geographical and racial/ethnic categories and include detailed information on population (e.g., marital status, educational attainment, ancestry, disability, occupation, work status, and income) and housing characteristics (e.g., value of home, monthly rent, number of rooms, telephone service, vehicles available, and ancillary costs such as utilities, mortgages, taxes, and insurance).
Microdata: These data, called Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) files, include the actual responses to the Census questionnaires at 1-percent and 5-percent levels of those who completed the long form. Constructed to protect respondent confidentiality, these files allow users to perform customized data analyses on a wide range of population and housing characteristics.
Geographical Products and Maps: These files include TIGER/Line files, which contain geographic coordinates and extensive boundary and street information and an assortment of reference and outline maps in various formats.
ICPSR Census 2000 Data
Provided below are links to documentation on how to work with the datasets available through ICPSR. Additional help documentation can be found on the ICPSR Web site.
- How to Download Data or Documentation Files
- Decompressing Zipped Files
- Types of Documentation Files
- Codebook Files
- Types of Data Formats
- Types of Data Structures
- How to Interpret a Record from an ASCII Data File
- SAS, SPSS, and Stata Setup Files
- How to Use NACJD Data with GIS Software - Note that this tutorial exists on the NACJD Web site and focuses on using criminal justice data with GIS